Chapter Three: Cujo
-"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."
― Roger A. Caras
Like any normal boy, they want a dog to call their own. To have that undying love and endless friendship that only a dog can give to a boy as grows up but always has that friend to turn too. So when Danny had been nine and doing his best to keep up chores and his grades up after a talk with his parents that if he show in pulling and holding his own they would get a dog! A nice normal dog, something big enough for Danny but small enough not to get in the way and it would be all his!
As his tenth birthday rolled around, Danny had got a dog bed and leash and some toys and even a bowls for food and water. Even sneaking down to the shelter with his friend Tucker to look at the dogs and fallen in love with a beagle mix that had lost half a ear. He knew when seeing the little mutt who was growing from puppy hood that he had found his dog! Yes Danny spent the night going over names and dreaming of the summer days with ball throwing and long walks just the two of them. Unmorally on the day of little Danny's birthday, when he had the leash ready and even Jazz seemed happy for the boy he did get his dog: a robot. Made by his parents and which would be used for sniffing out hidden ghost!
Summary: His birthday sucked.
Having a dream smashed hit a sore note in the boy's heart as always when his parents ignored a basic child's wishes. Danny for the most part gave up on the dream of a dog and put away the items he had got into the closet to have dust on them but sometimes things are meant to work out down the line and a boy still can a dog and have days of summer walks and throwing balls in the park, to have that type of loyal friend but well for now a older Danny who was now part ghost and fighting he would also need a friend to watch his back and protect his friends.
This type of loyal mutt came in the ghost form of a former guardian dog named Cujo by Danny himself after some events with the mutt. And given how Danny had treated the dog who had never been loved by a boy or given that type of human touch, it was by the mind of Cujo that he had found his owner and once this little or big mutt made his mind up, well the rest can only be done.
Cujo pulled out of the Fenton Portal on a spring day, a roll of green fur and black ears with a tail a wagging and rolling to hit the desk in the lab. Coming to his feet and sniffing the many scents of the living world and found it to be more welcoming then the brimstone of the ghost zone. Yipping a moment to walk around finding the scent, different then any human or ghost but a mix of both the boy he sought. Tail thumping a away as the pup moved up the stairs and stopped the moment in ears perked and listening for any voices but none lay in the sleeping house of the hunters nor their kids.
Shaking a bit, the green mutt walked to flout up the stairs of the upper rooms and noise twitching in find the scent of Danny. The blue door covered in stars and plants greeted his red eyes as the ghost dog phased in a moment and blinked. Their was a touch of sadness in the scent of the boy who lay covered under a black sheet and muttered in his tone, tossing and turning as if in a fight no one else but him could see.
Now Cujo was something brighter then most living dogs would be and being a ghost it only let him have more of a brain for his breeding. Flouting into the air and landing on the bed, he whined in knowing and feeling something wrong with Danny and doing what only a dog can do, lightly put a wet noise to his cheek and pushed a bit with a touch of tongue in the few tears that fell on the cheeks of the ghost teen's face.
Deep breathing settled over the ghostly hero in moments of comfort sought out the ghost dog and pulled him closer. Which in turn Cujo only gave a happy whine and snuggled closer to the warmth of the human and took into a deep yawn of his own sleeping from going from one world to the next.
The Fenton parents woke early and left soon once dawn was up for a convention to deal with ghost and everything ghost a town over. Leaving the two children alone for the day and unknown a ghost dog that lay sleeping next to his chosen master and keeper. Danny's blue eyes winced in the morning light as most his age, wanting to sleep in but the pull of hunger always wins when it comes to teenagers but also it being a Saturday was also a win for a teenage hero that needed some time off.
Sitting up, Danny pushed the sheet off with out knotting the bump under it and touches of chilled azure air that came from his mouth when he yawned but it small and faint. Having spent most his school nights catching up on home work and dealing with ghost had worn out the boy youth but a full on night of sleep was a gift beyond the heavens to him or a ghost free weekend which was not going to happen once he found something green and puppy eyed.
Stumbling down the stairs, Jazz's happy untamed humming and the scent of eggs filled him with in pulling out the chair and glaring at her a moment for being so sunny in the damn morning.
"Good Morning Danny! You sleep good little brother?" Jazz Fenton had gotten this morning perkiness from her mother sadly. "I was hoping we could just hang around the house today and eat junk food and do some games and movies?"
One: Jazz wanting to act her age was a shock. Two: Just had already given her brother his much needed coffee with tons of sugar and Three: Jazz never cooked sep on rare events of wanting something….
Daniel looked up, eyes narrowed and gulping down the coffee before his brain could line up the events in order, "Ok Jazz, I'll bit this time. What you want?"
Jazz only smiled for the moment, flipping the eggs in reaching for the bacon in knowing Danny would eat everything in front of him but this wanting to hang out and be with him. Yet also knowing Danny had been fighting almost every night this week of some ghoul or ghost and studying for his exams in with her help on the side had the teenager up to a C once more and not the near fail of last test gone by.
"Nothing Danny, its just we have no parents and you've been fighting all night this week. I thought we just use some sibling time…" Jazz replayed, gently pushing.
Tilting his head and pushing back the black bangs, he took in her words and smiled softer. In having one family member knowing his secrets it did make his life a touch easy and having a day off and with Jazz and Tuck and Sam doing their own family stuff would be a good change of pace.
"Ok Jazz, but I call the first movies!"
Laughing, he sounded so juvenile in the moment which made her glad. Now while the two siblings talked and came to eat. Cujo had made his way. Scents of bacon are a calling to any dog: alive or dead. Tail a wagging and mouth a watering he lightly trotted to seat himself under the table and did one thing all dogs do in this moment: whine and look cute.
Did have to think when you have a cute little doggy begging for food and a boy not to give in with out a thought? Nope! Danny smiled, placing some bacon from his fork to the ground for the dog to eat and reaching for his coffee just feeling a wet tongue on his feet made him smile but once the caffeine had kicked and his mind woke up, Danny looked down and stared in seeing the small green dog all wiggles and smacking his lips from the bacon.
"CUGO!"
Bacon flew with the fork as the coffee slide and caped over to spill as the teen shoved the table in the same moment Jazz jumped back to drop her own eggs and scream from the shock. While all this happened in a moment and Danny from his own shock went to a half way changed ghost boy. Cujo whined and ran and turned to flew and phase under the kitchen sink from the yelling and movements of the two siblings.
Glowing for a moment, wisps of snow hair lingered on the black as Danny's eyes moved from a mix of blue and green but in pulling a calm breathe, he let the power fall away. Jazz had jumped back and grabbed a frying pan incase a ghost had popped up to attack her baby brother but seeing him calm down only made her look around, eyes darting but ready.
Danny let loose a few curses which would have shocked his mother but well, she was gone but looking at Jazz he laughed in the mighty amazon she was in holding a frying pan and eggs on her shirt in a muddier of yellow and white. "Jazz it's cool! "Danny shook his hands to gain her eye sight, "It's just Cujo, that ghost dog I told you about."
Jazz Fenton only blinked, placed down the frying pan and took the moment to grab a paper towel and clean up her shirt as always, a eye roll of her brother met her gaze." Why is a ghost dog here?"
"To the point as always Jazz…"He thought, signing in the mess and lost of food but the low sad whines of the poor pup was echoed and heard in the all the kitchen.
Jazz let her hard gaze soften in hearing a puppy whine, dead or not. "I think we scared the poor little guy!"
Danny looked at the space under the kitchen and grabbed some bacon that had fallen on the kitchen floor and went to his knees. Smiling in opening the door, he made out the red eyes full of pure dog sorry and pity and the ears back and tall curled under his belly.
"Cujo, buddy I'm sorry ok? Here and come out and you can have some bacon. No one is going to yell at you or hurt you ok buddy?" His voice was soft, pleading and begging for the mutt to come out.
The little dog for the moment let his ears pull up in hearing the tone in the teen's voice, his soft smile and eyes speaking the truth. Along with the bacon being offered by his hand and pulled away as the ghost dog walked out. Eyeing blinking the light of the kitchen and sniffing a bit then turning to look at the very human girl but she mirrored the boy's look and smiled a bit at him. Both their aura's open and welcome and gentle.
Barking, Cujo ran into Daniel's arms in being picked up and teeth pulling into the treat offered in peace and whined happily as Danny only laughed to have the wiggling pup in his arms and feeling him against his chest. It was the joy and feeling that filled his chest in the old longing of a boyhood gone and taken from him.
Jazz smiled more, feeing her little brother act his age with a dog in his arms and smiling to bright his eyes and flush his cheeks. Still a little fearful of a ghost dog, she did walk closer with her own bit of egg left from her shirt and offer it to the wiggling green mass of fluff. Cujo blinked his ruby eyes and barked in a wagging tail and took the egg with a soft mouth, no teeth or rush in not to scare the human and seemed to smile and gulped it down in pleasure which made Jazz only smile softer.
"Hes sooo cute!" Jazz coed at the puppy, reaching over to touch a baby soft black ear. Feel yes the slight chill that came with all ghost but it a strange mix of fur and fluff that tickled her finger tips in a delight. "I don't think Cujo fits him at all!"
"If she only knew he wasn't always so cute and small…."Danny thought, shaking his head in the image of what the dog could be.
Still seeing the pup had calmed down a bit, he put him down as the dog for the moment chased his tail but soon looked at the mess of breakfast and took to what dogs are good at with a mess on the floor which only made Jazz do more baby talk to the ghost dog and Danny rubbing the back of his neck in thoughts of looking once more at Cujo. Question was why the ghost dog was back? And what was he going to do with him? The never ending job of the local hero huh?
"Good thing mom and dad are gone huh? I mean this place would have laser holes in it just for having him here?" Jazz pointed out, watching the dog do his job of cleaning the floor.
Eyes rolling, Danny crossed his arms, "Well what I want to know is why he's here?"
"What do you mean Danny?"
Taping his foot on the floor, he huffed, "Well last time it was for his old toy and then he got it and left but that was weeks ago and now Cujo is back and why?"
"Maybe he came back for you Danny? He seems to like you a lot." Jazz always nailed it on the head, watching the small pup now sitting on the floor in all legs and wagging tails and staring at the humans.
Glancing down, that old longing for a dog did tugged at his heart a bit in seeing the creature. Everything in the body of the dog wiggled more in coming to dance on all his paws in getting attention from the boy and pink tongue darting out. He found himself bending down and picking up Cujo and holding the chilled presences of the dog and smiling like a boy his age should.
Much as Danny felt that pull and Jazz smiling in that softer way in seeing her brother looking so human even with a ghost dog she saw his blue eyes shift in thoughts and his shoulders falling once more with that unseen weight of the knowledge.
"He can't stay Jazz. Cujo is a ghost and even if he's a good ghost, he belongs in the Zone and than we have mom and dad." Daniel's voice was hardened.
"We could hide him!" Jazz plumed out, mind buzzing all the more.
"Jasmine…"
Holding her hands up, Jazz stopped her brother in his words. "We could make Cujo look like a normal dog to them!"
Hope, even a small seed can be planted and Danny felt it once more like he had on his teeth birthday in the thoughts of having a dog of his own. Even if it was ghost dog him now being a ghost well just made more sense in the line up of thoughts. Doubt can also move also as hope does spring in the heart bur the smile on his sister's face got it a bit pushed down. Once Jasmine Fenton got an idea or a plan, like even her father on the hunt she was a Fenton and always finished it.
"Dad was working on a type of well Ghost Camouflage to make him and mom look like ghost! They got the idea well from you Danny. They thought if they look more like ghost while hunting it would let them get closer." Jazz explained it, point blank and such. "It's this small little clip no bigger then a pager."
"Sooo…"
"Well it only worked on the lower half of their body, mom said it needed more of a bigger power source to work on a full on adult size but given how small Cujo is and all. We can just reprogram it to make him look like a dog!" Jazz snapped her fingers, yep knowing she had once more saved the day.
Danny rubbed the back of his neck, thinking in glancing from the dog to Jazz and back again but muttering on the idea but also the mess. "Let's clean up first than we can talk more on hiding Cujo."
Both the Fenton siblings looked rounded and signed, sister picking up plates and cleaning the table and Danny with the broom while Cujo ate any food he could find in the aid of the clean up. Soon kitchen was clean and a dog was full and happy to be around people again. Cujo just followed the pair into the living room as the TV was turned onto a bad B movie on Roswell and such.
Danny glowed the soft white for a moment reforming turning intangible and shooting upstairs, the sounds of pipes running in the old building groaned out as Jazz shook her head. He tended to do more ghost things like not using the stairs or just phasing through the walls to get to a place faster in the house when the parents would be gone. He could himself all the way: Fenton and Phantom.
Cujo just jumped up on the couch and sat down, watching in with demotion most dogs lacked unless food was around. One ear flopped back to hear the pipes and flutter of Jazz lightly just having taken a book and flipping the pages. Scents of the life of the family lay around his nose but always Danny's scent was that mix of ghost and human while Jazz was that more of close to lavender. Yet scents linger of also the ghost scent, something like pale brimstone clung to her from being with Danny and her parents work.
Thirty minutes later, Danny walked down the stairs, hair wild and damp with just a black t-shirt on and jeans that had seen better days. Bouncing, the dog hovered in the air to shoot into the boy's arms with his tongue licking away at what ever water lay on the cheeks.
"CUJO! STOP! DOWN BOY!" Daniel's voice pleaded but he still laughed, dropping the leash and collar he had pulled from his closet.
Jazz smiled, eying the leash now on the floor while the teen was half phased throw the wall with a ghost dog still licking and barking in the happy way. "Seems Danny has made up his mind to keep him for now. He needs this, someone to take care of who knows him more then the half ghost boy."
ERRRRRRRRRRRRR! EERRRRRRRR!
Peace shatter, red alarms flashing and the sirens bladder in one moment as Jack's voice screamed "Ghost Drill! Ghost Drill!" Shouted over some speakers in and wired around all the rooms of the Fenton Works. Jazz's shot up, book flying and flipping and Danny fell through the wall onto his butt and had changed with the airline in his blood to Phantom while the poor Cujo did anything a dog would do if it felt like an attack, changed.
Gone had the little dog to become the huge massive beast and his growl sounded like thunder in his chest and barking in warnings to what ever it was attacking the humans to stay away.
"DANNY! TURN OFF THAT GOD DAMN DRILL! DAD'S FORGOT TO TURN IT OFF! AGAIN!" Jazz yelled, covering her poor ears.
Flouting into the air, the Phantom ducked down into the lab and found the switch. Hitting it with a bit more focus and busting the thing but he glared as silence filled the rooms. Jack was a good man and father but he was bright but also very forgetful on day to day things which Maddie tended to fill that spot for in the most loving way.
Relief sounded from the sister of the pair as she turned around and her own baby blues widen to see the cute little ghost dog had become a beast big enough to fill the room. Now the human part of her brain in seeing the beast yelled to run and run fast but Jazz was more Logic in thinking and beating down that part of her brain.
"Now I know why Dan called him Cujo…." Jazz thought, in watching the dog sniff and growl and look around in case the animal came back to hurt his family again.
Danny reappeared and went to speak but seeing the dog once more in his other form made him sign a bit and Jazz just watching with a faction in the change. "Yah was going to tell yah about this part Jazz but it's a bit better if you see it now. He won't you I promise he was just…"
"Changed to protect us like any good dog would and yes he is!" Jazz exclaimed, "Danny this is more prefect! Now Cujo can help you also to fight ghost after some training!"
Flouting in the air and tail wiggling in his ghost form, Cujo had stopped growling and sat down with his tongue a bit out and grinning in doing his guard duties. Jazz had walked closer as Danny watched with weary look in wondering how the dog was going to act.
"What a good puppy! You did such a good job! Yes you did! Yes you did!" Jazz Fenton had no fear as Danny's jaw dropped in having the giant ghost dog now on his belly and getting a belly rub. Yah Jazz could always surprise anyone in her moments much as her brother could.
"Jazz…"Phantom only face palmed in the scene being done but smiled into his gloved hand. Cujo was staying, no fight there or questions.
Cujo shifted back to the tiny pup and was in moments picked up by the girl and smiled in the wiggle of the puppy and the happy sounds of snorting and whining. Danny went back to human and joined his sister in petting the dog, enjoying the feeling of the fur and the sounds. A child needs being healed and full filled and the Fenton's got a new family member.
"I wonder how the parents going to act in having a dog…" Jazz thought but only smiled in coming up with a good story as always.
Writer's Notes: Well this is the end for this story, and Cujo is the longest of the one-shots. Took a bit to write with my pc crashing….
